


Regulations

by storiesfortravellers



Category: Common Law
Genre: Banter, M/M, Polyamory Negotiations, Relationship Negotiation, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-23
Updated: 2012-12-23
Packaged: 2017-11-22 03:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/605220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesfortravellers/pseuds/storiesfortravellers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Yuletide Treat for this prompt: a fic where Travis/Wes negotiate an open relationship because Travis needs it, but he gives Wes full veto power.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Regulations

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Maekala](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maekala/gifts).



“You’re sure you’re okay with this?”

“Completely okay. There just have to be ground rules,” Wes answered.

“Ah, I get it. It’s not a jealousy thing. You just need to feel like you’re in control,” Travis teased.

“Ground rules are practical and necessary. Me having control over you is just a bonus,” Wes said with a wink.

Travis laughed, flashed a grin. He nodded; if he was getting the open relationship he wanted, he was definitely willing to hand veto power over to Wes to make it happen.

“First rule,” Wes said, “No dating anyone at work.”

“What! That’s ridiculous!”

“I would try to get you to follow this rule even if we weren’t together,” Wes said. “You always get us into trouble with people whose help we need.”

“That’s why you’re there. To smooth things over.”

“That works when I’m the beset-upon partner. I’m not going to inspire much sympathy as the guy you stay with even as you dump the person whose assistance we need.”

“You have a point,” Travis admitted, “But we’re always working. Where else am I going to meet people?”

“Not my problem,” Wes smirked. “Rule 2: No dating criminals. For obvious reasons.”

“Yeah, no kidding. Wasn’t planning on it. I am actually aware that I have a badge, you know.”

“I know. But I think all rules should be official.”

“Still thinking like a lawyer,” Travis muttered.

“Why do you say that like it’s a bad thing?”

“No reason. Rule 3?”

“Rule 3 is, no dating anyone who isn’t honestly on board with dating someone in a committed open relationship. No convincing someone who’s pretty sure they don’t want that kind of arrangement.”

“Honesty and upfrontness all around. Agreed, definitely.”

“Rule 4: No dating any of your exes.”

“Why?”

“We don’t need the drama. Also, I’d be more jealous of an ex. It’s not rational, so don’t expect an explanation. Which brings us to Rule 5: No drama queens or drama kings.”

“Good rule.”

“One is enough,” Wes said and Travis rolled his eyes. 

“Rule 6,” Wes continued, “No dating people who don’t treat you with respect.”

“That’s very sweet,” Travis said, “But who gets to decide if they’re treating me with proper respect?”

“I do, obviously,” Wes said, no joke in his voice. “Rule 7 – ”

“Wait, how many rules are there?” Travis sighed.

Wes narrowed his eyes. “Rule 7. No dating people who interrupt. Because people like that are rude.”

Travis briefly raised his middle finger.

Wes continued, “Rule 8: No dating someone so ridiculously good looking that you can’t think straight.”

“What kind of rule is that?”

“You can make an exception for me, of course,” Wes said with a smile.

“Whatever. Seriously, are you that insecure?”

“I don’t want you to date anyone who makes you act stupid. It would be incredibly annoying. Besides, what kind of person spends all day at the gym or salon? Don’t they have jobs? It reflects on their work ethic.”

“This is getting absurd,” Travis said.

“Rule 9,” Wes said, “No dating anyone whom I suspect will try to break us up.”

“Of course. But make sure you’re not overly skeptical of people who don’t deserve it.”

“When am I ever overly skeptical?” 

“No comment,” Travis said.

“Rule 10: No dating anyone I don’t like.”

“Wait. No way. You practically don’t like anyone!”

Wes thought for a moment. “Okay, that’s fair. How about, ‘Rule 10: No dating anyone whom I vehemently despise, distrust, or disdain.’?”

“I can live with that,” Travis answered.

“Good.”

“Though it feels like a lot of these rules should have required like a thesaurus to write or something.”

“Rule 11: No dating our therapist.”

“What?”

“No dating our therapist,” Wes repeated, “That’s a perfectly reasonable rule.”

“But why did you even think to come up with that rule? What in your brain would make you jump to that idea?”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s totally weird that you would think of that possibility.”

“She’s an attractive, smart person who gets you. You like attractive, smart people who get you. Ergo, it occurred to me that you might at some point pursue her,” Wes said.

“Yeah, first of all, thanks for phrasing it as if it were a logic problem.”

Wes frowned. Why would someone not want to phrase something in terms of premises and conclusions? It made much more sense.

“Second,” Travis said, “I’m not interested in our therapist. But you know who is? I mean, that's obviously why you thought of it. Because if anyone has an issue with wanting our therapist --”

“Whoa, I’m not even the one who wants an open relationship!”

“But you – wait, you don’t want this?”

“What?”

“Do you really want this, Wes? Is that why there are all these rules – do you not want this?”

“Of course I want this. I wouldn’t agree to--”

“But you said that….”

Wes sighed. “All I meant was, you were the one who brought this up in the first place. If this is who you are, and how a relationship with you can work best, then I want this too.”

“Are you sure?”

Wes tilted his head. “I trust you, Travis. I trust you to pursue other relationships. Some short-term. Hopefully, if you don’t screw it up with all of these people, some long-term.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“The point is, I trust you to be with other people and never let it diminish your love and commitment to me,” Wes said. 

“And I’m grateful. I can’t even tell you how grateful--”

“But you need to trust me. You have to trust that if I didn’t think we should do this, then I would say so. And you have to trust that if I ever stop wanting to do this, I’ll tell you. Because I will, by the way. Definitely. But my point is, you’ve got to trust me to care enough about the relationship to tell you the truth.”

Travis looked at his eyes, saw the honesty, the steel of certainty beneath the kindness.

“I trust you,” he said. 

“Good,” Wes said, “Because really, when have I ever not been completely happy to tell you that I’m pissed off?”

They laughed. 

“Okay. Fine,” Travis said. “What are we on? Rule 12?”

“Rule 12,” Wes confirmed, “If you find someone who wants to hang out with both of us, platonically or otherwise, try to select someone with good taste in film, television, and food. And obviously I’m measuring good taste by its proximity to my taste and its distance from yours. Because I am seriously sick of watching the crap movies you like.”

Travis paused. “Shouldn’t we have a rule that anyone else I date has to be less of an asshole than you?”

“You can put that on your list if you have one. Mine’s done. You can keep it in your wallet. Or should we put it on the refrigerator?”

Travis rolled his eyes and grabbed the list to shove it into his wallet. 

“Happy now?” Travis grumbled.

Wes smiled and leaned in for a possessive kiss. 

“Yes, actually. I’m very happy,” he answered then. 

“You’d better kiss me again,” Travis said.

“Why’s that?”

“So I’m happy too,” Travis grinned.

Wes leaned forward again for a longer kiss, deeper, with more heat. 

“Actually, this whole room is kind of a downer,” Travis said then. “I think you’d better try to make me happy in a different room.” 

Wes smiled. “You’re right. The bedroom it is.”


End file.
